Friends of Clayoquot Sound: Fish farming: Creative Salmon

Creative Salmon in Clayoquot Sound

Creative Salmon has operated in Clayoquot Sound's Pacific Ocean since 1990. The company currently has six open-net-cage salmon farm sites (although only four are operational) with total production estimated by Creative Salmon as 1,500 metric tonnes anually. Creative Salmon's sites are located in the traditional waters of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations and within the Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Reserve:

in Tofino Inlet - Warne Island, Indian Bay, Eagle Bay and McCall Island sites

in Dawley Passage / Fortune Channel - Baxter Islets and Dawley Pass sites.

Click here to see a map of salmon farm sites in Clayoquot Sound.

Click here to see a map of salmon farm sites in BC (Large File - 1.6 MB).

Creative Salmon farms Pacific Chinook (King) salmon rather than the industry-standard Atlantic salmon. Although Canadian registered, Creative Salmon is funded by investors in Japan.

The following are examples of Creative Salmon's activities that impact the wild ocean ecosystem in the Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve :

In the first 4 months of 2007, Creative Salmon reported 110 sea lions drowned in its fish farm nets.

In 2006, Creative Salmon reported 46 sea lions drowned in its fish farm nets.

Information obtained by FOCS from the BC Ministry of Environment in June 2005 reveals that in 2004 Creative Salmon used nearly a quarter of a tonne of antibiotics (245.01 kg) in Clayoquot Sound. Creative Salmon's Dawley Pass farm used 35.28 kg of oxytetracycline; Eagle Bay used 63.31 kg and Indian Bay used 146.42 kg.

Click farm name for records: Eagle Bay, Indian Bay, Dawley Pass

245 kg of oxytetracycline is the equivalent of 2.45 million pills (at 100 mg strength, which is a standard human dosage)

According to Fisheries and Oceans Canada, antibiotics in medicated fish feed have the potential to induce drug resistance in natural microbial populations on an inlet-wide scale. Scientific studies have shown oxytetracycline concentrations in sediments under salmon cages for up to 18 months and have found contamination in wild mussels near salmon farms.

Sea Lions Shot By Creative Salmon

Creative Salmon shot and killed sea lions and disposed of them in mass graves in 2000. Friends of Clayoquot Sound took photos and a video of this incident which was featured in National Geographic magazine and in many other publications.

Shortly after the incident, Creative Salmon voluntarily removed rifles from their farm sites.

Information obtained by FOCS from the BC Ministry of Environment in June 2005 under the Freedom of Information Act reveals that the following chemicals were used by Creative Salmon in Clayoquot Sound in 2004:

Astaxanthin
Zinc
Virkon
Sodium Hypochlorite
Peroxygard
Defoam
Vidalife
Oxytetracycline
Aquacalm

* During 2003, site investigations by the BC Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection reported non-compliances by Creative Salmon at three out of its four active farms in Clayoquot Sound: its Eagle Bay site was reported as non-compliant with disposal of net waste, Baxter for fuel storage and containment and Indian Bay for site registration.

* During 2003, three of Creative Salmon's farms in Clayoquot Sound were reported to be non-compliant by the BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries (MAFF) in terms of site configuration and/or biomass.

* Inspections by MAFF during 2002 reported 9 cases of non-compliance at Creative Salmon's four operative sites in Clayoquot Sound: this included a failure to report escapes as required at its Eagle Bay site.

Contact us!

Friends of Clayoquot Sound
PO Box 489, 331 Neill St., Tofino BC V0R 2Z0
Tel: 250-725-4218 Fax: 250-725-2527
Email: info@focs.ca